Valìa

Valìa is a Brussels-based boutique agency providing public affairs services to organisations championing progressive policies and striving for social change. We help clients navigate the Brussels bubble and provide tailor-made, impactful advocacy strategies, policy and regulatory analysis, and stakeholder engagement. We are active at the EU and member state level as well as around global decision-making moments like the G7, G20, and COP. We support work across a wide range of issues, including international development and finance, climate change and sustainability, human development and food security, digital rights and corporate transparency.

Some of our biggest accomplishments include securing ambitious commitments from world leaders to fight poverty and climate change, raising billions from the EU in health and education funding for global instruments, and influencing ground-breaking legislation on digital issues.

  • Valentina Barbagallo

    Valentina Barbagallo

    Director and Founder

    Valentina is a politically-savvy advocate with well over a decade of experience with government, civil society, international organisations and philanthropy at the EU level. Valentina has been providing consulting services since 2018 and founded Valìa to bring incredible organisations closer to their mission of creating a fairer and more sustainable world.

    She previously led the EU policy and advocacy work for The ONE Campaign where she contributed to major advocacy wins such as passing transformative transparency legislation on anti-money laundering and securing billions of additional funds for development aid in the EU budget. Valentina also worked in the Ambassador's team at the Italian Permanent Representation to the EU, including during its Council Presidency, on the European Centre for Government Transformation project at Accenture and at the European Commission Representation in Milan. Valentina holds an M.Sc. in Law from Bocconi University and an M.A. in EU Political Studies from the College of Europe.

  • Kasia Lemanska

    Senior Consultant

    Kasia has 15 years of experience in EU advocacy, covering areas spanning human rights, foreign policy, international cooperation, budget, and health.

    She has been working for the past 5 years with Aidsfonds, the national HIV/AIDS organization of the Netherlands. For the past year, she has also worked as a consultant, predominantly for the Gates Foundation, providing advice on political engagement with the EU. She’s a policy nerd with a strong strategic mind and a keen interest in international politics. Her main drive at work is to push the EU to become a fairer, stronger, and more principled international actor, consolidating equity and human dignity worldwide. Kasia holds a master's degree in political science and international finance.

  • Borja Buitrago Peña

    EU International Cooperation Consultant

    Borja joined Valìa in May 2024 supporting the team across all projects. His diverse professional background spans across public European and Spanish institutions, as well as the private sector. These experiences have equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of EU policies and the intricate dynamics of decision-making processes and project implementation within the European landscape. During the year before joining Valìa, Borja was part of the Development Cooperation team at the Spanish Permanent Representation to the EU during the Spanish Presidency of the Council, where they chaired and coordinated the CODEV-PI Working Party of the Council.

    Borja holds a double Bachelor in Law and Political Science from the Autonomous University of Madrid, an M.A. in International Relations and European Diplomacy from the College of Europe, and an L.L.M in EU Law from the Carlos III University in Madrid.

  • Emily Knight

    Personal Assistant to the Founder & Director

    Emily joined Valìa in June 2024 as Personal Assistant to the Founder & Director. In this role, she manages the day-to-day admin and streamlines our financial processes. Emily worked at Stanton Marris for 13 years as IT and Office Manager before setting up her own Virtual Assistant company in 2013 overseeing the operational aspects of several different projects including liaison, scheduling, booking meetings, venues, documents, and budgets, as well as managing project resource allocation and reviewing all deliverables for quality assurance.

We have had the pleasure to work with some of the leading actors driving transformative change at the global level. Past and current clients include:

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa; Avaaz; Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; CONCORD Europe; Fair Trade Advocacy Office; Foxglove; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Global Agriculture and Food Security Program; Global Citizen; Global Partnership for Education; Global Witness; Pandemic Action Network; People vs Big Tech; SEEK Development; Their World; UNAIDS; UNICEF; WaterAid; Wellcome Trust.